Page 13 of A Lady’s Dangerous Secret (Scandalous Secrets #1)

CHAPTER EIGHT

J ames stepped outside and felt a stark contrast between the stuffiness of the ballroom and the cool night air.

There were a few lanterns placed around the balcony, which overlooked the stately home’s gardens.

At first, James did not see anyone, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized there was a shadowy figure at the far end of the terrace.

He spotted a white and sea-blue ball gown embroidered with flowers that caught the flickers of lantern light.

It was Lady Charlotte.

An almost full moon shed a hazy glow on the scene. He approached quietly, trying not to disturb her. He could see the side profile of her face as she looked out over the gardens, her hands resting on the balustrade for support. Lady Charlotte looked like an empress gazing out on her domain.

James paused…she was gorgeous.

And lonely.

Illuminated by moonlight, he could discern a haunted look cross her face while she remained lost in her thoughts. A new realization struck him in that moment. He wanted to wipe all of Lady Charlotte’s worries away.

No , he chided himself.

Although not a typical simpering miss, she was still a young lady of the ton who was beyond privileged, a group who lived with excess and who never had to wonder where they would find their next meal or if they would have a roof over their heads that night.

James purposely made noise as he approached her. She startled and whirled around. For a brief moment, a look of surprise and then perhaps amusement appeared on her face. Before James could blink, it was gone.

“Captain Hughes, I didn’t expect to see you out on the balcony.”

“Oh?”

“You seem to have many admirers in the ballroom.”

James studied her further. He did not yet know every nuance of Lady Charlotte’s intonation, but he swore he detected a hint of jealousy in her voice. “I needed to escape. It’s why I typically avoid my uniform at these events, but Lady Carrington cajoled me into wearing it.”

“I suspected as much. You looked as if you were being marched to the gallows. I have to admit, though, you are quite dashing, Captain.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she said, then they darted downward in an embarrassed manner.

“You find me dashing, Lady Charlotte?”

“Given that you’re always so grumpy, I can’t tell if you’re teasing me. That’s quite impolite.”

He took a step closer to her so that he was almost touching the skirt of her dress. “When have you ever worried about politeness?”

Lady Charlotte lifted her head, and instead of her usual bravado, James was met with a frown and a blue stare.

“Since I realized I must marry the Duke of Westcliffe to save myself,” she whispered.

James stepped back in surprise. A duke? Save herself?

He assumed Lady Charlotte was on the hunt for a husband for the same reasons as every other lady of the ton : titles, heirs, and spares. Yet, she truly seemed troubled.

“What do you mean save yourself ?” He felt the protective urge to strangle with his bare hands anyone who threatened her.

Lady Charlotte just shook her head, and her shoulders slumped, which tugged at James’s heartstrings. She was the most strong-willed woman he had ever met, but to see her crestfallen made him want to fix whatever had her so upset.

“I can’t tell you why, but the Duke of Westcliffe, has asked to formally court me. We’ll be married soon.” Her voice was laced with resignation.

James could not help himself and grabbed both her arms. He looked into her eyes earnestly, “You can tell me anything.”

“Captain, I’m sorry. I can’t say.” She tried to square her shoulders, but failed. “He seems to be a kind man. It’s just…”

“What is it?” James asked.

Her voice came out softly, “I don’t love him.”

Without thinking and with his usual sense of honor nonexistent, James stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. His lips connected with hers, and he immediately began to devour her like a starved man.

He felt Lady Charlotte’s initial shock as her body tensed, but swiftly she pressed her lips back.

He wrapped his arms around her back, and he felt her breasts push against his chest. She twined her hands around his neck, and her fingers pulled at the collar of his jacket.

He angled his face so that he could kiss her more deeply, all the while flicking his tongue into her mouth to test her response.

After a few attempts, her tongue hesitantly engaged.

She must be an innocent.

James’s self-control could only last so long, innocent or not.

His tongue pushed deeper into her mouth and danced with hers.

She quickly picked up the rhythm, her tongue matching his, thrust for thrust. Despite her inexperience, James would not expect anything less from this vivacious woman.

His mouth left hers, and he started to trail kisses down her neck to her collarbone.

He felt her pulse beat rapidly. She was as aroused as he was.

He lifted his head for a moment, his chest heaving.

He knew he should not have touched her, but he could not resist the invisible force pulling him toward her. He had always prided himself on his honorable actions, yet with her, he could not walk away.

James’s kiss ignited a flame inside her she never knew existed.

And what a kiss it was!

When she was younger, she would overhear her brothers and their friends talking about their exploits with the opposite sex. Charlotte had been curious, and convinced Thomas, who was just a stable boy at the time, to kiss her. It was a brief, perfunctory interaction, and Charlotte was underwhelmed.

“Come with me.” James grabbed Charlotte’s hand and led her down the stairs to the gardens.

“Do you know where you’re going?” she asked.

“No, but that has never stopped me before.” He pulled her down a path past rosebushes not yet in bloom.

Charlotte could see her breath, given the earliness of the season, yet she did not feel cold at all.

She burned inside.

They passed a fountain and continued deeper into the gardens, making a turn down a narrow, overgrown path. Charlotte soon found herself in an alcove under latticework covered by vines. There, a small stone bench was placed under the arbor. James sat and pulled Charlotte onto his lap.

Even though she knew it was wrong, it felt so right.

For the first time, she was at eye level with his silvery gaze, which was cast in shadows from the arbor.

Moonlight filtered through the vines and latticework, speckling his face.

Despite the darkness, Charlotte could see that the storm normally in his gaze was absent.

Instead, there was a hunger she had not witnessed before.

“I can’t stop touching you. Please tell me to stop,” he said as he stared at her.

“I can’t,” she responded.

He shifted and she felt a rigid form pushing against her thigh. From what she had gathered from following her brothers and their friends, she understood what that meant.

Charlotte wanted him, too.

If she was going to be forced to spend her life with a kind but fatherly man, she would never have a chance to experience passion like this. She may be innocent, but she knew the fire between them was something special.

He captured her mouth again and thrust his tongue inside, seeking more. She responded with the same fervor, wanting all of him. She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer. Their tongues intertwined at a frenetic pace. His hands wrapped around her waist, urging her closer to his body.

His lips left hers, and she felt a sudden void as the cool air danced around her tingling mouth.

She quickly forgot about this loss of connection when his lips trailed down her neck again, this time descending lower.

Her head tilted back to expose more of her chest, and she let out a moan she could not control.

She felt his hands leave her waist and move to the front of her dress.

He tugged down her bodice, exposing her left breast and nipple to the night air, causing it to pucker.

He dipped his head down, and his warm breath relieved the chill.

His lips wrapped around her nipple, and his tongue ran circles around the nub, stimulating it further.

He caught the nipple slightly with his teeth, sending a jolt of pleasure from her breast to her core.

Charlotte gasped in response.

He lifted his head and gave a devilish grin. “Do you like that?”

Before Charlotte could respond, he diverted his attention to her other breast and sucked and nipped just as much as its partner. Her bottom wriggled against his lap and searched for more.

“Dammit, Charlotte. You’re going to make me spend in my breeches.”

He called me Charlotte.

Through her sensual haze, the thought crossed her mind. She liked the sound of her name in his gruff voice, stripped of all formality.

James lifted his head. Her chest heaved as her insides coiled in anticipation of what was to come.

“Give me more,” she begged, wanting to ease the tension in her core.

A chill surrounded her legs. The skirt of her gown was bunched at her thighs, and James’s hand snaked its way up her leg, past her stockings and garters.

His mouth returned to her nipple, distracting her.

Suddenly, his hand was between her folds.

Charlotte clutched the back of his head and tugged on his hair to counteract the sensations that overwhelmed her.

His finger grazed her entrance. He paused and lifted his eyes. “You’re so wet for me.”

Charlotte could not answer.

She was flooded with a deluge of new, pleasurable feelings. His finger moved through her folds, coating itself in her juices.

“I want to watch you,” he murmured.

His finger slowly entered her, and her breath caught as her eyes flew toward the heavens.

“Charlotte, look at me.” She lowered her gaze and stared back at him, desire pulsating through her veins.